They're all out to get me: The world according to Clive

Bill HoffmanWhether taking on developers hell-bent on destroying the Coast’s natural appeal or a Prime Minister indifferent to the plight of the poor, Bill Hoffman has never been one to mince his words. Bill’s been a journalist for 32 years, 29 of those on the Coast. Love him or hate him, he'll get you blogging.

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CLIVE Palmer has broken his silence in a wide ranging interview in which he accuses the major political parties of singling out Queensland Nickel Industries for attack in a mining sector that has laid off 20,000 workers in the past 12 months including 8500 in the Bown Basin alone.

Mr Palmer says the balance of power had allowed PUP to fight legislation that would have left Fairfax constituents $5000 a year worse off.

He says the LNP is only too aware of the impact of PUP on federal politics claiming the credit for former Prime Minister Tony Abbott's scalp after its votes helped block the 2014 budget and for defeating a range of other contentious Abbott Government policies.

He has reconfirmed he will stand in Fairfax at the next federal election and says despite commentary and polls to the contrary he does not believe PUP's support has disipated.

Mr Palmer says reactivation of the Palmer Coolum Resort won't be possible until his stoush with President's Club unit owners is resolved, a process he expects will take six months.

And he has revealed Queensland Nickel Industries had paid two weeks wages in advance to each of the 237 workers made redundant last week and that $200m in asset backing he had provided would ultimately ensure they received full entitlements.

Sources say the approach to the Queensland government in November-December last year was for it to come in behind those assets which would have meant no-one lost their job.

Member for Fairfax Clive Palmer addresses the crowd at Coolum's Australia Day celebrations in 2014.Mike Garry

SILENCED

IT takes a lot to silence Fairfax MP Clive Palmer but he's been given a gag order for the Australia Day citizenship ceremony to be held at Lake Kawana.

Mr Palmer has accused the LNP of trying to separate Australians on the national day by the directive.

He claims he has been invited but told he won't be able to speak.

Those who can he says are all tied to the LNP including the Mayor Mark Jamieson, Fisher MP Mal Brough and Queensland Senator James McGrath.

"People in my electorate will be honoured with citizenship," Mr Palmer said.

"This is a travesty that sets up divisions. Regardless of your politics this should be a time of unity not division.

"The LNP takes the Sunshine Coast for granted.

"It saw PUP got rid of Tony Abbott when we stopped the 2014 budget."

Comment has been sought from Sunshine Coast Council which runs the event.

QUEENSLAND NICKEL

PROVISION had been made to pay Queensland Nickel Industry workers but the matter was now outside its control since the administrator placed them under a deed of arrangement Clive Palmer has claimed.

And he has accused the Murdoch press and the two big political parties of signalling the company out for unfair treatment.

"There have been 8500 lost in the mining sector in the Bowen Basin since the slowdown,'' Mr Palmer said.

There have been 20,000 job losses in the past 12 months.

"Glencorp has laid off 450. Did they get the QNI treatment?'' Mr Palmer said.

I'm not a director nor have I been for the past three years.

There were 237 workers made redundant who Clive Mensink prepaid two weeks in advance immediately.

They are covered under the Fair Work Act which determines entitlements which you have I think seven days to determine.

People worked across the weekend.

Clive Mensink formed the view that the company should go into administration to keep trading.

Clive Palmer at the Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show.Darryn Smith

On the Tuesday the administrator determined not to pay the workers but to put it into a deed of arrangement. That was the administrator's decision not ours.

It's very unfair what's been done to the company.

In the Australian they said we had a charge over the company.

We do. People would not lend to it or advance money because of the worry that it would go into administration which negated the use of the assets for commercial benefit.

It's exactly what we did; support QNI with $200m worth of assets.

Given the administrator's decision to put workers entitlements into a Deed of Arrangement means that those assets will support the workers.

That's the honourable way to go about it. We did all we could do.

I'm not a director but going into administration is a normal way to restructure to allow a company to continue to operate.

Clive Palmer in front of his collection of Rolls Royce cars, including this 1926 Phantom I model, at the new Palmer Motorama one day before its grand opening at Palmer Coolum Resort in 2013. Iain Curry

Whether it was the right or wrong decision I don't know. It was the right thing if there was potential for the company to become insolvent.

I must be completely at arm's length. I've been to Townsville twice in the past three years.

Three years ago I launched our election campaign and last year I addressed the work force as the owner.

You can't have the balance of power and represent Fairfax and still be actively responsible in a company.

"When we took it over in 2009 the nickel price was $7 and BHP closed it down. Its $3.80 now and we are continuing to trade.

"I believe in its ability to trade out and to return as a profitable company.

"We have made a $4bn investment in the north since 2009 and created 2500 jobs. BHP would have killed Townsville in 2009.

"The cost of production then was $8 per pound now it is $4. What's been achieved is the greatest productivity gain in Australia's history.

"That's not a failure, it's a success.

"In 2013 the company 100% owned by me was solvent, had no debts and had the option to pay me a $20m dividend.

"The carbon tax was costing us $25m a year. Management was of the view that the company couldn't continue to pay such a high level of carbon tax.

"PUP was formed with the mission to abolish the carbon tax. We did that and the benefit to QNI was to reduce costs by up to $75m.

"I forewent a new plane, a boat or personal to make that happen because I thought the interests of Australians and workers were more important.

Harry Bruce cartoon, Clive Palmer.Contributed

POLITICS

CLIVE Palmer says he remains determined to re-contest Fairfax at elections later this year and is undeterred by polls showing Palmer United Party's support was vanishing.

Mr Palmer said in 2013 PUP faced the same negative attitude and predictions it would get just 1% of the vote.

"I got 26% of the primary vote in Fairfax and our party 11% in the Senate," he said.

"We secured 13% of the vote in Maroochydore in the state election.

"In the state election we secured 5.5% of the total vote but contested only half the seats. Our preferences didn't go to the LNP and we got rid of Campbell Newman.

"Our support hasn't shifted much despite all the palaver.

"No-one has achieved as much for their electorate. We stopped the GP visit co-payment, freed 1400 children from detention on Christmas Island, protected low income and superannuation support, and saved the $800 school kid support.

Clive Palmer arrives for the declaration of the Fairfax vote at the AEC office in Maroochydore in 2013. Brett Wortman

"As well we saved the Climate Change Council, protected the RET and stopped Qantas from going into overseas control and the Graincorp acquisition.

"And our opposition to the 2014 federal budget ultimately led to Abbott being overthrown.

"That's what we've actually done but no-one runs it.

"The truth is the LNP knows it."

Mr Palmer said his party would again try to secure the balance of power saying the exercise of it had helped maintain the lifestyles of people in his electorate who would have otherwise been $5000 worse off.

"Nothing has changed there (in his intention to re-contest Fairfax)," he said.

"Will Ted O'Brien stand again to lose again? Bad luck Ted."

While donations to major political parties fell in 2014-2015, Clive Palmer injected almost $10 million into the Palmer United Party, including $5.9 million from the Queensland Nickel refinery. Zach Hogg

COOLUM PALMER RESORT

COOLUM Palmer Resort will be reactivated as a functioning tourism hub as soon as issues relating to Clive Palmer's dispute with President's Club unit owners are resolved.

Mr Palmer said he was hopeful matters could be resolved within six months but has made clear there will be no closure of the matter until the club was restructured as a body corporate, saying it was now functioning illegally.

"The President's Club on March 13, 2012 lost its ASIC approval to operate as a time share placing the way it now acts in breach of the Corporations Act.

At the same time the Ambassador's Club last its exemption and is now a body corporate.

Shareholders have access, can stay, sell or do what they like.

In contrast the President's Club wanted the resort to act with it in breach of the Corporation law.

Graffiti being cleaned off the front of the Palmer Coolum Resort.Richard Bruinsma

We refused to do that because it would be unlawful.

We will go back to court. They should be restructuring as a body corporate then everyone would have access to their units.

They haven't paid for power and water and owe us $500,000.

No-one gets power and water for free. But that's a separate issue.

We can't work with or be part of an illegal time share. If they re-organise as the Ambassador's Club has done there is no problem.

If they pay for their power and water then they can get it.

The directors of the President's Club have raised millions from unit owners and paid themselves tens of thousands of dollars a year. It's in their interests to promote the dispute.